Emily Ball was 14 when she was one of six people charged with murder in the slaying of 17-year-old Travis White at her Covington residence. She pleaded guilty two years later to a lesser charge of conspiracy to commit assault and was sentenced to serve 15 years.

The Kentucky Enquirer reports that now that Ball is 18, a Kenton County judge must decide whether to probate the rest of her sentence, order the Department of Juvenile Justice to keep her in custody until she turns 21 or transfer her to adult prison.

A hearing in the case is scheduled for Friday.

The judge must balance justice for the victim with a suitable sentence for Ball, whose attorneys have said the state's child welfare agency bears some responsibility for her legal troubles.

The newspaper reports that after Ball's mother was arrested for endangering the welfare of her children, state officials left the 14-year-old girl and her 12-year-old brother at their residence with two strange men and no guardian.

Helen Deines, professor of social work emeritus with Spalding University in Louisville, called it an example of the Kentucky Cabinet for Families and Children failing to protect the children.

"I think the world of child welfare workers, but it is cases like this that just destroy the credibility of every good worker," said Deines, who trains child welfare workers. "Kentucky gets the kind of child welfare system it demands. This is the kind of case that ought to make every citizen call the governor's office and demand transparency."

State officials haven't answered questioned about the case publicly, and declined the newspaper's request this week to comment. Many of the records on the state's dealings with Ball are confidential under Kentucky law, but the newspaper obtained some partially redacted records in the case.

Those records show authorities discovered that something was amiss 11 days after the mother's arrest when worried school officials called.

Although a child welfare worker was sent to the home that Friday, records show the worker found the home clean and the children comfortable and decided to leave them there until Monday.

The next night, Covington police called child welfare workers to come and get the children after finding White's body behind the home and arresting the two men staying there. Detectives determined that White had been slain in the home 10 days earlier, and described the interior of the home as dirty and smelly.

"It reeked. It had the smell of old blood," now-retired Covington police Detective Mike McGuffey said, adding that there were bloody footprints on the floor and a bucket of bloody water sitting outside the house.

Deines said the children should never have been left in the home.

"The whole thing shows a complete lack of judgment," Deines said. "It is not just the child welfare worker. It is the worker's supervisor. It is the kind of story that just shouldn't happen."